Pictures: T.A.S.T.E. Event

Kaitlin McKeown/Daily Press

Antoinette Harris films as 16-year-old Kendrick Matten performs an original rap during a T.A.S.T.E. (Take a Student to Eat) event at Pearlie's Restaurant in Newport News on Monday. Matten, who has been writing songs since he was eight, said it was a honor to perform for an event honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I was really happy that I got to perform for such a hero," he said, "especially on his day."

Antoinette Harris films as 16-year-old Kendrick Matten performs an original rap during a T.A.S.T.E. (Take a Student to Eat) event at Pearlie's Restaurant in Newport News on Monday. Matten, who has been writing songs since he was eight, said it was a honor to perform for an event honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I was really happy that I got to perform for such a hero," he said, "especially on his day." (Kaitlin McKeown/Daily Press)

Antoinette Harris films as 16-year-old Kendrick Matten performs an original rap during a T.A.S.T.E. (Take a Student to Eat) event at Pearlie's Restaurant in Newport News on Monday. Matten, who has been writing songs since he was eight, said it was a honor to perform for an event honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I was really happy that I got to perform for such a hero," he said, "especially on his day."